Why Is Jay Gatsby Great

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In the book The Great Gatsby of F. Scott Fitzgerald, the main character Jay Gatsby is described as an incredibly great man in many aspect. Even when the character Gatsby is not officially introduced, we already see his greatness through what people around talk about him. As the book going on, we gradually discover that Gatsby is not only great as the way people talk about him but also great because of his characteristic. In the very first chapters, Gatsby appears with a certain greatness with mystery around. Fitzgerald initially presents Gatsby as an aloof, enigmatic host of the unbelievably opulent parties thrown every week at his mansion. He appears surrounded by spectacular luxury, courted by powerful men and beautiful women. He is the …show more content…

The author lets Gatsby’s reputation precedes him and delays to reveal more of Gatsby’s information until fairly late in the novel, which creates a curiosity in readers and thus makes the first impression of Gatsby even more amazing. After getting to know him for a few next chapters, Gatsby makes us have a even bigger admiration towards him for his dedication to dream as well as because of his extraordinary ability to transform his hopes and dreams into reality. It is said in the novel: “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us.” Gatsby spends most of his life pursuing the “green light”, the American Dream in which Daisy is the representative and motivation. His determination for this life goal is so great that he is willing to give everything for this dream. Gatsby loves Daisy. He knows that to win her back, all he need to attain is wealth. So he established a "business" that would give him prosperity. Moreover, he bought a house right across the bay from Daisy, just so he could be close …show more content…

He is the only real person in the novel, the only one that is made “human.” As we know from the book, in order to achieve his llied to her about his own background in order to convince her that he was good enough for her. He is honest with himself, his fortune didn’t spoil him, he had just chosen a wrong dream and at the end wasn’t able to get over his failure. He is real human, and all human have faults. He makes mistakes and does bad things, but are still considered trustworthy and admirable especially since all those things he does are about achieving his dream and love. We were able to see his pain and his self-consciousness that lead him down a bad path to earn his money. But, he’s a romantic, and wants to be with his one true love, Daisy. He does these deeds all in pursuit of love and happiness. In the end his life turned out so different than what he had expected and in real life so many people have lives that don’t turn out the way they’d hoped. In a world without a moral center, in which attempting to fulfill one’s dreams is like rowing a boat against the current, Gatsby’s power to dream lifts him above the meaningless and amoral pleasure-seeking of New York society. Gatsby’s capacity to dream makes him “great” despite his flaws and eventual undoing. Nevertheless, considering the setting in which the story takes

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